Chapter 17
-:- VICTORIA -:-
“What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?” I snap at Bethy, who I note is dripping with sweat, red in the face, and puffing like she’s going to take her last breath.
“You had me brought here by that asshole ape...” Bethy states out of breath and looking at me like I’m her worst enemy.
Stopping with my hands on my knees, gasping, I tilt my head and look at her again. “What did he do?”
“Well, what didn’t he do. The man is a psychotic lunatic. He threatened a man for looking at me. I mean, looking at me...Who the hell threatens someone for looking?”
“Apparently, he does? Did something go on between you two?” I ask because she seems a bit too fired up about the man for it to be all innocent.
Frowning and giving me a nasty look, Bethy sighs, “No, nothing happened. He is just irritating. He freaking smiles too much, too.”
“Again, what is going on with you Bethy?”
“Nothing. As I just said he is irritating. He is good at what he does mind you. We dodged a few of our followers and I saw him knock one out cold with one punch,” Bethy frowns again.
“I saw him fight hand-to-hand with another, and Vicky, he can fight. It was like watching something out of a movie. Hands and feet everywhere, but it was like seeing something choreographed. The other one could fight too. After, when we were back on the road, Wings said the other was obviously former military, so a mercenary, and we had to watch our backs. That’s when we really started checking things out before we. ..”
A crack sounds, and I turn to look over my shoulder but see nothing.
Turning back to speak again to Bethy I scream in horror because she’s on the ground with a bullet hole in her forehead.
I scream again and don’t realize what is happening until I’m lifted into the air, thrown over a shoulder and am being carried into the clubhouse.
Men are running around throwing orders at each other. I have been placed in the children's playroom along with the other women.
“We are not staying in here. Get a weapon ladies, we are going to war.” I don’t know which one says that so fiercely that I flinch.
I mumble under my breath, “Bethy!” but the image of her on the ground has so many emotions flowing that I am not sure which is the worst of them.
Mia has all the kids at the back of the room. Eden and Kenzie along with an enormous dog are standing in front of them. How Eden has a weapon in her hand so quickly I don’t know, and I’m not asking.
I look at Mia as she squats in front of me. “Who do you think did this?”
“Joe Tizwald. It has to be. Bethy and I never made enemies. Art was always getting Bethy into shit she didn’t deserve to be in. She’s dead, Mia, she’s dead.” Tears are flowing down my cheeks.
I look again when Mia speaks. “Does Bethy have any family apart from her brother?”
“No. I’m her family. I’ll organize her funeral, and I’ll pay for it. I want to find her brother, Joe Tizwald, and the shooter, and I’m going to kill them all,” I whisper through the sobs that are wracking my body.
The door opens, and Chaos walks into the room. Searching until he finds me. Stepping over to me he lifts me onto my feet and wraps me into his arms. Kissing the top of my head, trying to give me some comfort.
“Stitch has Bethy in his room. He’s being respectful of her.
Forest is here and organizing the deputies.
All are going hunting. Wings has already left, and I’m not sure if he had something going on with Bethy, but he’s going to murder someone.
Whoever it is I’m not stopping him.” Chaos looks around and takes notice that Corey is with the other kids.
They are all playing quietly, but know something is wrong, they just don’t know what yet.
The door opens and I’m not sure who speaks as my face is tucked into Chaos’ neck. But I hear, “Church, now.”
“I’ve gotta go, Victoria. But know that whoever did this is not walking away from it.
They will pay for it. Stitch has locked Bethy’s body in the medical room until the funeral director comes later.
Forest is calling in people he knows to register Bethy’s death, but we’ll have to keep it quiet.
It was an assassination, after all, and we don’t want the government involved.
If they do, they’ll take her, and it’ll become a circus. Trust me to do what’s right for her.”
“Okay,” is all I manage through the floods of tears that are rolling down my cheeks.
Mia has been called out to speak with Axel, and we can all hear the conversation is heated.
But as Chaos kisses my forehead and leaves the room, Mia steps back inside and takes my hand, guiding me to a seat.
Sitting beside me, Mia sighs. “Axel and the brothers will make sure whoever did this will pay, Victoria. But do you have any idea where to look?”
Winter and Star squat in front of me, and I shake my head. “I don’t know where to look for the shooter. Or Art, or even Joe Tizwald. Does anyone have a laptop that I can use?”
That is how an hour later, I show Winter, Star and Mia a location that may be a good hiding spot for the up-and-coming Senator. It’s a cabin owned by Joe Tizwald's grandfather. I have it showing on Google Earth for them to see what it looks like. Exactly where it is, and how isolated it is, too.
“Okay, let’s make a move, Winter,” Star says quietly, and I frown as I’m not sure what they are talking about. “Are you coming or staying?” she asks me.
“Are you going here? To the cabin?” I’m feeling dimwitted by the question.
“We are going after these fuckers. The men can go into church and bluster all they like, but we’ll do what we need to before they take a piss and get ready to leave.” Star smirks, and it’s not a particularly nice smirk either.
Winter speaks next, getting my attention.
“We need you to come with us, Vicky. You can check where Art is, where this asshole Joe is. Make sure we are in the right place. Watch for anything we may need to know. But know this, Bethy is going to get her revenge through us. She will not die alone. She will take her brother, Joe Tizwald, and the sniper into the afterlife with her.”
Mia grasps my hand, squeezing it. “I’ll watch Corey for you. But you need to move fast before the men know what’s happening.”
Nodding, I get to my feet. Wiping the palms of my hands down my cheeks to swipe the tears away.
I look at Winter and Star, giving them a nod.
Raven who I hardly know, steps forward and hugs me, whispering how sorry she is before saying she’ll get me a laptop with a charger and everything I may need.
Opening one of the dressers in the playroom, Mia hands me black ski-pants, a t-shirt, and a bandana.
I raise my eyebrows at the last but Mia shrugs and waits while I strip off and change.
All the women in the room are quietly watching and waiting.
Blake steps forward and gives me a sad smile.
“We’ll all watch Corey. We’ll run interference with the men too.
Just get done what you have to do and come back. ”
I’m not sure how the whirlwind of movement happened, but one minute I’m hugging Corey telling him I’ll be back soon, and the next I’m in a truck alongside Winter and Star.
We are heavily armed in the truck bed and inside the cab.
Star is singing something under her breath, but stops, frowns and speaks to Winter who is the driver for the moment. “Pull off the road. We’ve got a tail.”
Parking the truck, I climb out and stand next to Winter who has her arms folded over her chest and is giving a scowl to Jack. Yeah, Jack, who has been following us on his old Harley-Davidson.
Star slaps him on the back. “You’ll make a brilliant brother, now get your hog out of sight.
Behind those bushes will do it, then we’ll get it later, or I’ll ask Meat to get it taken back to the compound.
Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.” Stepping away and with her phone to her ear, I turn and look at Winter.
“If you are coming with us, you do as you are told, when you are told, and how you are told. You get me?” Winter is nearly nose-to-nose with Jack, but he’s not looking the least bit intimidated.
“Yeah, I hear you. I was tasked with keeping Victoria safe, and that’s what I’m going to do.
Now, are we moving or what, because you know Chaos, Buzz and others will be behind us soon.
They were still in church, but they’ll not be in there for hours.
” Jack pushes his hog behind the bushes, snaps some of the bush, making sure the hog is well hidden.
Walking to the truck Jack climbs inside and sits quietly, waiting for us.
An hour later I look at Star when she turns to look over her shoulder at Jack and me. “Do they have any idea where we are going?”
Jack shakes his head. “They didn’t when I left. I checked with the women if they knew anything, and they said church was chaotic and the brothers did not know where to start looking. They were going to look for Art and see what he knew.”
“Okay, so we leave that little cocksucker until last. Get the laptop fired up, Vicky, and see where Joe Tizwald is. Let’s make him our first port of call.
” Star turns around once more, and I do as I’m asked.
I look for Joe and I’m hoping he has gone to ground at the cabin because we can take him out there with no one seeing us do it.
Stopping at a truck stop, we grab drinks, sandwiches, chips and other junk we can eat as we are traveling.
Winter smiles and stops tapping on her phone.
As we climb back into the truck Star is now driving.
Jack is in the passenger seat, and Winter is in the back with me.
“That was Delta. She’s going to run operation scatter. ”
“What’s that?” I ask frowning at her.
“It means she is going to scatter all and any information the brothers think they have found. She’s going to have Specs chasing shadows to give us time to do what we have to do.” Winter grins, and Jack chuckles. I’m thinking I’m more than happy to be on these women's side, and not their enemy.
My phone rings, and looking at it, I see it's Chaos. Shit, he’s going to be so angry. Winter chuckles, nudging me with her shoulder, “Ignore it. I’m ignoring Target.”
Star laughs, “I’ve got Meat doing shit to give us time, but he’ll meet us at the cabin location. He said he knows where Wings is, and we can forget Art because he’ll not be an issue soon.”
I swallow hard. I have known Art for a long time. He used to be a great person, but somewhere along the way he turned into a selfish asshole. I know Bethy wouldn’t want him dead, but I can’t find any sympathy for him. If not for him, Bethy would still be alive.
My phone pings again, this time a message from someone unknown to me. Thinking that it has to be one of the men at the club I click to read it.
Unknown: If you don’t come and work for me, you’ll be next.
Gritting my teeth, I hand the phone to Winter who snarls. “Fucking asshole. He’ll get what’s coming. Find him, Vicky and let’s finish the asshole once and for all.”
I log into a satellite that I’ve used for work previously.
My fingers are crossed that I still have access.
When I log in with no issue I search for real.
Winter mumbles that Delta is looking for Joe and the sniper.
I know we’ll find them all, eventually. “Delta has Lincoln, Arrow and Bones looking along with her, so these fuckers can’t hide for long. ”
“Bingo!” Winter states an hour later. “Head to the cabin, Star. That’s where Joe is hiding. He has people with him. One man who looks like he may be our sniper. Delta has a satellite on the cabin and is actually watching what is going on.”
I’m viewing the area also, but as yet I’ve not seen anyone outside of the cabin.
We have at least another hour before we get into the area.
It’s time to make our plan, but before I can say anything Star laughs.
“We’ll stop before we get there and work out how to do this.
But we have to do it clean and fast, or the brothers will be on us before we can conclude our mission. ”
I look at my hands and think about Bethy.
How she would feel about me getting revenge.
I hope she would understand, knowing how much she means to me.
How much I love her as the sister she was to me.
She wanted a family, lots of children, and stability.
She would have had that if not for Art. His death means nothing to me.
I just hope Wings makes him suffer first.
Pulling the truck behind an abandoned gas station, we all climb out.
After a long discussion on how we are going to do this, I’m armed with a knife and a Sig, which Winter says will suit me better than the Glock I had reached for.
I’m watching Winter take out a sniper rifle along with a crossbow, which she hands to Jack.
Now he has so many weapons on his body he looks like Rambo, or some other character.
I toss my phone onto the back seat of the truck. I don’t want it making a noise when we are in any kind of situation. I’m going to be the one that draws the fucker out, giving Winter time to take out the sniper. Which is a weird thing to know, a sniper taking out a sniper!
“You ready, Jack?” Winter asks.
Jack gives a small nod. “Ready.”
Star steps forward, “Ready and waiting.”
I give a weak nod. “I’m ready.”
We walk toward the cabin and to where we all need to be positioned.
We know there are four security men, the one who has set up on the roof of the cabin, which can only be the sniper.
Then there is Joe himself, lounging on the front porch smoking a cigar.
Not long now asshole, I’m thinking as I wait just inside the tree line. Waiting for my signal to make a move.